Running
by Hammachu
Summary: As they embark on a journey across Sinnoh, hot and cold join forces to escape similarly different situations, clashing all the while. Starting out, her need of his experience as a Pokémon trainer holds them together, but as they slowly come to understand each other and even out their temperatures, an undeniable force glues them together, how ever much they may deny it.
1. Ready, Set, Gone

**Prologue**

It was two days into my summer break when I received the news, and it took me less than twenty-four hours to decide my fate.

"You failed your sophomore year of high school, Kennedy. You know what that means, right?"

 _Summer School._

I never knew that two words could harbor so much anger and grief. Summer was supposed to be a time of adventure and joy and _no school_ , but it seems this world has too much it wants to take from me and I have nothing left to offer.

Some might say I'm being too dramatic, but I've never been one to act. I'm just a stupid teenage girl who can't stop running from her problems. And this problem is no exception. All I do is run run _run._

And it's all I will ever do.

 **I**

I packed my bag with the least amount of items that I actually needed and took off in the night without saying goodbye. All I needed was a few changes of clothes, a sleeping bag, my Glaceon, my mom's old credit card she forgot to cancel, a few other possessions, and I was on my way out of the shining city I grew up in.

Jubilife, a workaholic's town, had served me well, but I set my sights on something bigger—better. Who the hell needs school when the Pokémon League Champion gets paid for merely existing? Sure, it may seem childish, but I'd have no problem with working to make it in something I enjoy.

So that's why I'm here now, running away from the realm of the known and escaping into a world of adventure and promises.

Forget butterflies fluttering in my stomach, they must be having a nuclear war in there because _lord almighty_ am I overwhelmed. I'm just a fifteen year old girl alone in a cruel world: the future may be marred with misfortune, but I wouldn't know until it's too late. I'm so nervous nervous _nervous._

But, oh, how sweet freedom tastes.

 _Or maybe it's just the flowers._

Arriving in Floaroma Town, I decide to get some sleep and leave out early in the morning because I'd pass out trying to travel while sleep deprived. I settle down in a forest clearing just behind town and use my backpack as a pillow, snuggling into my sleeping bag. The rocky soil digs into my back, but I'm not one to complain; I chose this path.

I try my best to fall asleep, but within twenty minutes of quiet someone approaches and taps me on the shoulder. I cringe internally, hoping to god that whoever it is won't hurt me. Slowly and cautiously turning my body, my eyes meet with a familiar face.

"Kennedy? What the hell are you doing camping on my property?"

 **Trenton Gramnes** , teenage boy in my grade at school, or should I say _used to be in my grade until I bailed out of summer school and had to be held back._

Distinct brown hair swept across his head frames almost _porcelain_ milky skin and compliments charcoal brown eyes. The skin showing from his tee-shirt reflects the moonlight like the ocean as his hair dances like flowers in the breeze. Beautifully slim muscles contract as his tall frame towers over me.

"Did I stutter? Or are you just dumb?"

I snap out of my trance as I remember he's a fucking _asshole._

"Leave me alone, Trenton." I seethe, rolling back over to try to get some sleep.

"That's not your choice. Last time I checked this isn't your land, so either tell me why you're here or get out."

I groan and sit up, narrowing my eyes in his direction. "I'm running away."

"Little Miss _Track Star_ is running away?" His face molds into distrust and annoyance, "From what?"

I sigh in defeat, not wanting to admit it to him. "Summer school."

"Dumb as _always,_ " He frowns and his sigh speaks for itself, "but whatever, my Grandpa says you can sleep in my parent's room tonight." His voice is a devoid of emotion, but his eyes reveal secrets of resentment and pain.

"Your parents' room? Where would they sleep?"

"He's never home—" He cuts himself off by turning away, almost as if hiding his eyes so that I can't read his emotion.

It's only as he begins to walk away that I allow myself to smile; my first day away didn't go _so_ badly, did it? I pack up my things and follow him to a small house on the flowering hill. As I slip through the doorway he turns around.

"I don't blame you."

"What?"

"For running away."

And with that said, he paces down the hallway and to his bedroom, shutting the door tightly behind him.

Never in my life have I wondered more what in this world made him so _cold_.

I enter the bedroom and run the facet over my hands, splashing it up and onto my face. I look up, staring at the mirror and into a pair of piercing blue eyes, a ring of gold around the pupil enhancing the depth. Small freckles on my cheeks contrasts fair, smooth skin, and, earthy blonde hair cascades slightly past my collarbone.

I finish washing my face and change out of my clothes and into a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. After brushing my teeth I head off the bed, trying to ignore whatever darkness may still be lingering in the back of my mind.

In the morning I am awoken by the sound of Starly outside my window. I peer outdoors and fall victim to the beauty of the meadow, the swaying of the flowers and the harmony of nature itself. The rising sun illuminates the pale sky in shades of salmon and lilac, lighting up the faces of the blossoms it smiles upon.

I rise from the bed and respectfully garnish it how it was before I had slept in it. Removing my night clothing, I put on my black and white striped top and layer over a pair of rolled-up, denim overall shorts. After lacing up sky blue converse over a pair of baggy, black socks, I run my fingers over my favorite green ribbon, remembering the purpose of why I'm here: to better myself.

 _No, I'm not running from my past, I'm bettering my future._

 _No._

 _No._

 _No!_

I throw my hair into a ponytail and tie the ribbon around as a headband, the excess meeting on the nape of my neck. A couple minutes later, I open the door and walk out into the kitchen, being greeted by a smiling and frowning face. Trenton scoffs as I shake his grandfather's hand and introduce myself.

"I apologize for not meeting you last night, for my back was much too sore to venture out of the bed." The older man chuckles, his youthful eyes flashing from underneath the years of wrinkles on his skin.

"That's alright, sir. I'm in your debt for providing a bed for me." I smile brightly and bow my head in gratitude.

"In return, I ask that you explain your situation. Have a seat. Trenton has told me that you're running away? Is this true, Kennedy?"

I fumble with my fingers under the table, "I—um—yes, sir. The truth is, I didn't pass my classes and I'm being forced into summer school. I know it may seem childish, but it's been a dream of mine to become the Champion of Sinnoh and I thought now would be a good time to start. Because I don't want to go to summer school and all."

"My dear, you're a couple of years late on perfect timing, but better late than never, I suppose." The grandfather's eyes have smiles of their own when he speaks. "But don't you think dropping out of school to become the Champion may be imprudent? It's a very rough path and very tough to win."

"Yes, I know it's not a smart move, but I've never been a smart person. Even if I can't be the Champion, traveling Sinnoh would be enough for me. I've worked for far too long to get my hands on a Pokémon to give up now."

"You have a strong spirit, Kennedy. It reminds me of my younger self. Your parents will surely be worried, are you sure you don't want to tell them?"

"My parents would never approve of me skipping school to travel Sinnoh, especially because I need extra effort to learn in the first place. I try hard in school but I just feel like this is what I'm meant to do. My parents have never been a fan of me having a Pokémon in the first place, so they'd surely stop me from going."

The old man smiles again, "If you wish not to tell them, I cannot force you, but please promise me you'll go back to school if you do not make it?"

I return the smile with a nod of my head, "Of course, except I won't fail." I laugh.

He glances at Trenton, and I steal a glance as well. Of course he was staring me down the whole time, so there's no surprise for me to hide. "Trenton started a journey in Sinnoh a small while ago, but he had to quit due to schooling."

"Grandpa-"

"He's a very intelligent grandson, so his father often makes him take summer classes to get ahead. This summer he's scheduled to take enough courses to skip his sophomore year entirely."

"Grandpa, enough." Trenton stands and glares at the both of us. "I'm going to my room." As he begins toward his room, his grandfather puts a hand weakly on his shoulder.

"Are you not going to wish her well?" He pleads.

Trenton pushes his hand of his shoulder an cranes his neck to meet his grandfather's eyes. "No." He paces down the hall and shuts his door loudly.

The old man sighs, "I'm sorry, he's been this way ever since his mother passed." My face softens as I look in the direction of his door.

This world has frozen his _bones._

"Do not worry, my dear. I'll wish you well in his stead." He opens a drawer and hands me a pouch of five empty pokéballs. "Be safe, my dear, I'm on your side." His shaky yet soothing voice allays my fears for all but a moment.

"Thank you so much." I gather my things and head out the door; the last thing I see before the door closes is his reassuring smile.


	2. Gaining Respect

**II**

It was eight o' clock when I left from the Gramnes residence, much later than I had originally wanted to leave, but my parents usually wake around nine. All is well until they discover I'm missing.

Stomach rumbling as I pass the Pokémart, I realize that I have not yet eaten this morning. I enter and am captivated by the wide assortment of products available. Shelves packed to the brim with tantalizing goodies and colorful Pokémon related items fill my vision and cloud my judgment of what I need and want. I pace the store isles and inspect each item until I lose my sense of time completely, and I end up purchasing a bag of blueberry bagels, a reusable waterbottle which I fill up at the Pokécenter, a Pokémon trainer's bag, and an array of Pokémon healing potions.

I head to the back of town and sit down under the canopy of a wall of trees. Beginning to eat my breakfast, I remove everything from my overnight bag and begin packing it into my new _very_ expensive leather Trainer Bag—more of a backpack, really. Seeing as though I'm going to be away for a while, a Trainer Bag is essential because of its Pokéball technology in the main pouch, which basically fits anything that you can stuff though the lip of the bag. The three pockets on the front and both sides of the bag aren't manufactured with the same magic, but they're still just as useful. I begin clipping the five empty Pokéballs that Trenton's grandfather had given me periodically along the leather keychain hooked around the side, placing the Pokéball of my companion on the first slot.

I feel the faint warmth emanating from the sphere, letting me know that inside resides a living being with so much potential and power. The Pokémon I worked so hard for, saving up my money for _years upon years_ because of my parent's reluctance to help me catch even a common Pokémon, sits in my fingertips, and it's all because the breeder sold her to me for discount because of abnormalities upon evolving. Even if her breeder thought she was flawed, she's perfect in every way to me, even if she's is a little small. Apparently no one wants a glaceon barely larger than an adult eevee, but I say bring it on.

Finishing up my bagel, I take a few sips of water before packing up my things and standing to leave the area. I begin towards the next town when a hand suddenly snakes around my mouth from behind and yanks me backwards into the forestry. I try to scream as I fall onto my tailbone, but the attacker muffles my voice by pulling my face into their chest and squeezing tightly enough to suffocate me. Releasing my mouth, I let out a second of an ear-splitting screech before they clamp their hands back over it. My eyes shakily wander to the face of the perpetrator, and when I make eye contact with him I feel the urge to punch him in the throat.

 _Trenton fucking Gramnes, grade-A douchébag and arrogant smartass, just blatantly sitting there with his finger over his lips like he has the right to tell me to shut up after giving me the scare of my life._

"Trenton, I'm gonna kick your—"

"Shh," He whispers urgently, cutting me off, "do you want to get sent back to summer school?"

Alright, now he has my attention. I shake my head, his hand never wavering from my mouth.

"You see that man in the blue shirt?" He stands, releasing me, and peers his head out from the cover of the tree trunk. "I was running errands in town when he asked me if I had seen a short teenage girl with mid-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and freckles."

"You didn't tell him did you?" I question, not daring to look at the man in fear of him seeing me.

"If you'd let me finish, you'd know by now." He snarls, glancing back at me with annoyance. "The man dressed in black beside him is a bounty hunter, no doubt hired to track you. I told him I hadn't seen you, but other people in town won't say the same."

I begin to think about recent encounters when I remember one detail fearfully, _oh god, the store clerk._

I peek out from behind the trunk to see my frantic father (wearing a blue shirt, of course) speaking with a confused old woman outside of her house.

"Lord almighty, that's my dad." The news causes Trenton to snap his eyes toward me and sigh.

"Stay here and don't do anything stupid." He commands, going toward his house through the dense foliage.

"Stupid?—" I begin asking, but he ignores me and disappears into the maze of the trees. I panic as I press my back up against the tree trunk in effort to minimize the chances of being seen. My courage suddenly dissipates as I realize that with one wrong move, my entire journey could be over before I even begin. I glance at my Pokétch to try to distract myself when I see eleven missed calls from Mom.

 _Oh, shit, I'm in for a beating._

I look away in terror and nearly piss myself when my guitar solo ringtone begins to blare. I fumble desperately with the buttons and manage to _actually_ make matters worse by turning _up_ the volume. Trenton returns with an unearthly frown, causing his eyebrows to knit together in anger and disappointment. He crouches down swiftly, presses one button, and the sound ceases altogether. Glancing up, I notice him wearing more trainer-like clothes and carrying a Trainer Backpack.

"Good _lord_." He whispers, pulling me up and guiding me hastily through the trees to an unknown destination. Looking back, I notice my father squinting towards the trees, but his image soon disappears as we retract further into the forest. We make several twists and turns before I see the light of day.

 _Route 205. We're on Route 205._

Trenton turns and looks me in the eyes. "Don't look back, just run as fast as you possibly can."

"But I don't know the way—"

He takes off, blasting down the dirt road like a rapidash. I don't stop to think about why he's helping me, I just rocket from my heels, propelling myself forward until I catch up to him. He glances at me and nods his head, as if silently telling me that we're speeding up.

A normal person wouldn't be able to keep up, but there's no time to think about what would happen to a _normal_ person in this situation.

We pass trainers right and left but we have no time to listen to what they have to say, and we also can't afford for them to get a good look at us or what we're wearing. My legs move as if machines trained to do nothing but hustle hustle _hustle._

We sprint all the way through the route and end up at the entrance to Eterna Forest. Trenton stops to look around and formulate a tactic.

"We'll be safe in Eterna Forest because its size, and we'll camp out in the dense parts for cover."

"Wait, what? We?" I question, suddenly realizing how _rude_ and unappreciative I sound. Not that he doesn't deserve it. "You're not coming."

"Do you a really wanna piss of the best chance you have at actually making it anywhere in this region? Whatever you said to my grandfather made him want to help you, so it's out of the goodness of his heart that I'm here, not mine. It's in your best interest that I come with you."

"Seriously?" I sigh, knowing in the back of my mind that he's right.

"I don't want to be here any more than you want me here. He may not look like it, but my Grandfather is a brute."

A long pause accompanies my brain racking itself for ideas. "You're still not coming."

"Okay, I'll just leave and let you wander around the big, dark forest as you run from a bounty hunter and—"

"Fine!"

He stops walking for a moment only to give me a cold glare and spit venomous words in my direction. "Actually, I'd rather face my Grandfather than be a babysitter for you."

I ball my hands into fists and squeeze my eyes shut in desperation as he resumes his walk away from me. I bite my lip in effort to hold back the words I cannot believe are becoming sentences on my lips,

but I can't let my only chance _fade._

"Wait, Trenton, please..." I choke, mentally cursing myself for what is about to come from my very own tongue. "You can leave whenever you want, just please—help me."

He turns, hands in his pockets, with his face cool and empty of emotion. He slowly—painfully—paces past me in a deafening silence and once again pauses. "On the one condition that you obey me without question."

As I look back, he's already disappearing into the darkness of the forest, and I ponder a moment on the sheer ambiance of his arrogance. I can't help but scoff as I follow after him, the realization sinking in that I'm going on a journey for who knows how long with _that,_ who I am expected to wait on like a dog without actually agreeing to it, and it's all my fault that he's still here.

But I can't let my chance _fade..._ It may be my _only_ chance at proving my parents that I'm a capable human being. No matter how much I don't want his help, I can't do a thing but face the fact that I know nothing about being a Pokémon Trainer. I've always struggled with wanting to be independent, and it's so hard for me to admit it, but as a new Trainer alone in this world, I would be lost without his experience. In anything else, I'd be just fine supporting myself, but with Pokémon...?

It makes it seem really stupid for my dream to be winning the title of Champion.

But it makes me want it even more.

So I'm gonna put my personal problems with him aside, and just do what he says so that with each step I take, I'm another step closer to my goal—another step closer to demolishing my parent's notion that I'm stupid and unable to do anything but mindlessly run for the sake of winning.

Ironic, right?

As I enter the forest, I find myself alone between the towering trees. The sunlight peaks through small openings in the forest canopy and paints abstract shapes on the grassy soil below. Trenton, leaning on the trunk of a tree to my right, gets up and takes the lead. No emotion resides in his face, but I can tell just by his footsteps that he's so smug about the whole thing.

I roll my eyes from behind his back, glad that he can't see me cross my arms and pout. His high-and-mighty attitude pisses me off, and his silence only magnifies the crime.

He finds a prime spot and ventures into the foliage, peeling back thornbush branches and rotting leaves to a small opening behind the tall plants. With many cuts and scrapes, I emerge behind him into the cleaning only barely big enough for the two of us. He leans against another tree, rests his neck back, and closes his eyes.

"We'll travel by night, so rest up now." He asserts, beginning to dose off.

"Do we really have to camp out now? Do you have any idea what time it is?" I question, annoyance ticking off the charts as I wipe drops blood off of my legs and arms.

"Are you in any position to defy me?" I flicks one eye open, keeping the rest of his body still.

 _Okay, Kennedy. Stay calm. Don't yell. He's not worth getting worked up over. Ignore it._

I try my best to suppress it, but a small bit escapes in the form of a snooty frown. "Fine."

I sit up against a different tree across from him and begin to dose off. After all, I am tired.

I awaken, my body sprawled across the dirt and legs curled up to shield myself, and see Trenton's silhouette standing in front of me. From above a few stars twinkle brightly through the cracks in between the leaves, providing the only light in the darkness. Trenton clicks his tongue impatiently, snapping me out of my daze, and eyes me coldly as if expecting something from me.

"Let's go." He mumbles, stepping over me to exit through the thorny passageway.

"O—Okay..."

I rub my eyes and yawn to shake away the sleepiness, hurriedly gathering my things and brushing the dirt from my body. Noticing my cuts have formed scabs, I somehow manage to keep myself from getting stuck on any more thorns as I exit. In a matter of seconds, Trenton begins to weave in and out of curvy treeways, and I find myself losing sight of him because of the lack of light. As much as he repulses me, I reach for the hem of his shirt to reassure myself that I'm going in the right direction, and I assume he's okay with it by the way he doesn't react to me.

It takes no time at all for us to get out of the forest, but I know that without him I would have been beyond lost. It stands to show that no matter how miserable I am, I made the right choice.

 _But this was supposed to be an adventure of fun and relief, yet I'm stuck walking in the shadow of someone else._

After exiting the forest, we make an immediate left across a large patch of tall grass to a clearing behind the river. Trenton stops, crosses his arms, and narrows his eyes in my direction.

"Let me see your Pokémon." He states, a disapproving glare leading me to believe he doesn't care all that much. I fumble with my keychain and unclasp the pokéball on the end, the warmth emitting from it reassuring myself of her presence. "Well?"

I nod and press the button, watching the slim figure of a quadrupled mammal appear in a flash of icy blue, lighting-like mist. Long extremities below a crystalline crown flow like streamers on a windy day, and her ears twitch to acclimate to her new environment. I watch as Trenton's eyes widen slightly as he bends down beside her, but he soon masks his surprise as he usually does. He smiles sweetly as she rubs up against his legs, and the locked, steel doors in his eyes open up and soften as he looks at her.

When he smiles like that, he seems like a totally different person—someone I could actually get along with.

"Her name's Crystal. She doesn't like me." I sigh, but I can tell he ignores me by the way he's absorbed in petting her soft, luscious pelt.

"How did someone like you get a Pokémon like her?" He questions, looking up momentarily with a serious look in his charcoal eyes.

"Well since she's kinda small, the breeder sold her to me for—"

"Wait, you bought her?" He narrows his eyes, boring through me to my soul. "Well no wonder she doesn't respect you. If you want her to listen then you need to connect with her, let her know she can depend on you. She thinks you don't care and that you're unworthy of training her."

I croutch down beside her, but she jolts closer to Trenton in distaste. Reaching out to place a hand on her back, she arches it to keep me from touching her and growls softly.

"Here." Trenton grabs me by wrist and puts my hand near her muzzle, and she sniffs me indecisively but soon shifts her forehead into my hands. I smile as she allows me to pet her head, which is much softer than I ever thought it would be.

"Is she... trusting me?" I eye Trenton curiously, hope flashing brightly in my eyes. I notice a small dimple in his right cheek as he fondles with Crystal's ears that I never would have never noticed before if I didn't take the time to look. As soon as he looks at me his face hardens, and his eyes freeze; I suddenly wonder _what the hell his problem is._

At the same time I wonder why he's locked himself away from human contact.

"Have you trained with her at all?" He ignores my question. It's not like I expected him to answer it, anyway.

"Well, she wouldn't listen so what was I supposed to do?" I pout, raising a brow in annoyance. "I tried to, but—"

"You can start by training _with_ her, not trying to train her." Trenton says, glancing to his left. "You see that boardwalk over the river? How it loops around back to here? Four laps, run it."

"Wait what—"

"Crystal, four laps, please." He coos, kindly urging Crystal to obey. She takes a look at the distance and takes off running to begin. Our eyes meet, and he holds contact for a moment. "You're supposed to be running."

"But I—"

"Run!"

I reluctantly begin to jog around the circuit, looking back to glare at Trenton momentarily.

"What the hell are you doing? You're supposed to run ahead of her!" Trenton calls, and I roll my eyes and take a deep breath before picking up the pace. My legs exert a force so strong that I close the gap between Crystal and myself in no time at all. After all, it's just like track and field so I have no problem with running the laps. As I begin to pass Crystal, she speeds up with a devious grin on her face. I mirror her expression and push further into my stamina, blowing blast her with ease. I glance back to see her gaining on me, and _fast_.

I've never trained her once since I bought her, so how is she so damn fit?

We continue to stagger back and forth for the entire time, and before I realize it we make it to our last lap. I'm blasting off my heels faster than I've ever run in a meet, and I begin to tire. My breathing grows heavy and desperate, but I press on in effort to win over Crystal's respect. From behind she gallops forward, hitting the point directly beside me as we pass Trenton for the last time. I taper my speed down to a halt, turning back to see Trenton's mildly satisfied face.

"Still just as light on your feet as ever." He admits, raising a brow. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Well, school only let out a little while ago." I laugh, trying to shake off the shock that _that was an actual compliment._

"But I'm more impressed with you, Crystal." And my shock goes right down the drain. He bends down beside the panting glaceon, giving her a pat on the back. "And you've never trained her?" He glances up at me, still petting Crystal.

I nod, and my surprise returns when I find a glint of happiness under all that stone in his cold eyes. "Mhm."

"Well, perhaps there's more to her than most may think." He says, standing upright, "Use it to your advantage. By nature, glaceon are usually slow, so faking your opponents out by acting slow in the beginning will urge them to let their guard down." He averts his eyes to Crystal. "And then she can get in some quick strikes."

"You're more knowledgable than I expected, Trenton. Just who are you?"

His doors in his eyes lock once more, and I wonder what I did wrong. "Your guide."

I sigh, knowing I'll never get any kind of insight into his past endeavors. "So how do I beat the gym?"

"Does she know any ice-type moves yet?"

"Well, I—"

He scoffs to cut me off, looking tenderly down to Crystal. "Do you know any ice-type moves, Crystal?"

Crystal yips and pounces her front legs on the ground, releasing a roar of icy-cold breath. Shards of ice and chunks of snow stick into the ground and freeze small areas around them.

"That's Icy Wind, a low class ice move, but it should be sufficient. What other moves do you know?"

A soft, white glow emanates from Crystal's frame and trails behind her in sharp angles as she springs forward, hind and forelegs moving in unison for maximum distance coverage in her stride. Her body is suspended mid-air for a moment in time with each leap, and her speed methodically increases with each step. She plows her shoulder into a nearby tree, whipping backwards in order to minimize the backlash of the blow. The trunk shakes and the leaves rattle as the power overtakes the tree.

I watch in awe as she demonstrates Quick Attack, Tackle, Tail Whip, and Sand Attack flawlessly and powerfully. I've never trained her a day in my life, so just who is _she?_

Just a misfit sold at discount? Or a glitch in the breeding system?


	3. The Forest Badge

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:** _ **For anyone interested in seeing a drawing of Kennedy, I have one posted on the instagram account "derescre{dot}png". Of course, with a period in between the words, instead of the actual word "dot". Okay I'm just embarrassing myself now so I'm just gonna stop.**_

 **lll**

I've recently learned in my experience with Crystal that respect is one thing, and acceptance is another. I can run beside her, train with her, and be there for her all I want, but it will never make her want me to be there as a companion. Even if she respects my capabilities it will never mean that she _accepts_ me.

I'm also beginning to learn that some humans work the same way.

After a bit of work, Crystal finally began to listen, but Trenton told me that it would be a while until she'd actually want to listen to me. My heart did sink a bit when I heard that, but I soon meditated on the fact that eventually we'd become a great team.

And it was enough for me to know that one day we will get along.

Since the gyms close at nine-thirty, we had to wait until eight in the morning for them to open. And because I had already slept all day yesterday, I stayed up almost all night thinking of and drawing battle strategies with pretty glitter pens I bought in the city. Trenton took the opportunity and slept under the cover of the trees, and when I formulated enough tactics I entered the foliage as well.

It takes me a moment to recognise him because of the serenity of his face, but Trenton is stretched out within a sleeping bag beside the trunk of a tree. I tiptoe closer and cover my mouth to stifle a gasp as I notice him embracing cozy, red Pokémon in his arms.

He's _cuddling_ with a flareon. Trenton Gramnes, the _coldhearted and arrogant,_ cuddling with a living being

I slowly remove my hand from my mouth, but I soon find myself unable to suppress a giggle and slap it right back where it belongs. The ringing noise of skin against skin causes him to stir, and I freeze to the spot with my eyes practically stitched open. He rolls over to face upwards, his eyes fluttering open, and his face hardens into a scowl as he sees me. I clumsily stumble as I try to scoot back, ending up dropping my bountiful assortment of glitter pens all over him and his Pokémon. I fall to my tailbone with a shutter, wincing in pain and embarrassment as my face flushes bright red.

I just _had_ to buy the _glitter_ pens, huh?

"Dumbass, why are you awake?" He jabs, returning the flareon to it's pokéball. He brushes the pens off of him and chucks them at me, and I cover my face as they hit me.

"I—I was planning battle strategies and decided to go to bed, and I—"

"Go to bed, and don't come anywhere near me." He rolls back over and faces away from me.

So he can snuggle with a Pokémon, but he can't do much as become friends with someone of his own kind? It's not that it really bothers me, it just makes me curious as to know _why._ Why is his first instinct to pull himself together, and push others away? It could be engraved into his brain like a pattern; maybe ever since his mother passed, he's locked himself in isolation. Maybe he's severed his connections so that he never has to lose a connection ever again.

Maybe he's just afraid...?

With my thoughts in knots like my morning bed hair, I barely fall asleep without an answer my mind.

Trenton awakens with the rising sun, and the crinkling noise from his movements inside the sleeping bag catches in my ears, causing my eyes to look in his direction. Still facing away from me, he rolls up his sleeping bag and packs it in his trainer bag along with a pillow. Getting the feeling that we will be leaving soon, I do the same and pack up my things. The pale oranges, yellows, and pinks brighten up the skies and peek shyly though the cracks of the treetop canopy, seemingly lightening the tense atmosphere.

I reopen the leftover bag of blueberry bagels I bought yesterday morning, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with hunger. My stomach growls loudly, attracting the attention of the brunette boy who rarely acknowledges my existence. Just as I almost sink my teeth into the pastry, Trenton snatches it from my hands and resumes packing his things.

A small spark melts my peppy morning spirit into anger, and my blood begins to boil within my veins, summoning all my suppressed irritation towards him. I grab him by the collar and yank him backwards to face me, his nose just inches away from mine. The bagel he had just moments ago stolen from me hangs from his lips like a limp fish in the jaws of a cat.

"What the **hell** is your problem? All you do is stick your snooty little nose up and pretend that you're _so_ much better than everyone else, but really you're just an arrogant little kid. You're the most irritating, irrational, sadistic human being I've ever met in my entire life, and every _single_ _ **fucking**_ _thing_ you do pisses me off to the point where I'm about to explode!" I fume, not daring to bite back any of the venom rising in my throat.

Composed and cool as ever, he slaps my hand away and narrows his eyes. "Then do it, explode, see if I care."

With that comment, I almost explode for real. I fall back, clutching my head, and muffle a scream with the lining of my lips. I shake my head, trying to throw off my anger. I reach and hook my fingers onto the lobe of his ear, pulling his face around to me. "I don't need you to tell me—"

He stands, removing himself from my grip, and faces back to his things. "How many times do I have to tell you? _**Don't touch me."**_ He growls, speaking through his teeth.

I blow my top. "You know what!? I'm going to battle!" I clumsily throw my backpack on and storm off, almost tripping on tree roots on my way out. In the end it only makes me angrier that he probably saw me stumbling.

It dawns on me as I walk across the boardwalk that the gym opens in about an hour, so I decide to train a bit with Crystal on the strategies I came up with last night. I stop at the clearing at the end of the dock and release Crystal from her pokéball, reaching into my bag. And in that moment I realize, oh _god... I left my plans back where we were camping._

"Looking for this...?" I whip around and meet Trenton's smirk with a look of annoyance. I snatch the plans from his hands and notice black markings over the colorful glitter. "I modified it since your original plans looked more like rubbish than anything."

"You jerk!" I growl, disgust collecting on my face as I examine the missive. It disgusts me even more that they're actually better than mine. "I don't want your help, go away!"

"That's not what you said yesterday as I really was leaving." He retorts, and I look away to hide my embarrassment. "You should be grateful for my help."

"Just let me do my own work, myself." I interject, silently mumbling to myself about using his plans instead. I crouch beside Crystal and show her the paper, explaining the strategy quietly enough to keep Trenton from hearing. She nods in understanding.

"Are you using my plans?"

"Shut up."

I glance at my Pokétch, a smile tugging the corners of my lips into a smile. "You ready, Crys?" I don't look back at Trenton as I head towards the city, silently hoping that he doesn't notice I'm leaving and stays behind. I take a deep breath as the tall doors of the gym swing open, and I see the leader standing perkily across the grassy battle field.

"Welcome challengers!" The woman proclaims, raising an arm in the air. Her short, dirty blonde hair bounces as she giggles, giving way to a darker layer underneath. With her cloak of forest green, she reminds me of a sunflower, and her tall frame and skinny midsection doesn't help, either."This should be fun, both of your aromas smell of strength. Oh, how fun!"

 _Both of us...?_ I glance back and see Trenton standing blatantly by the door. Just _great._ "I'm Kennedy, and I challenge you to a battle for the badge."

"Kennedy, I, Gardenia, as leader of the Eterna City gym, accept your challenge!" She reaches out behind her and removes a pokéball from her belt. With a click and a flash of bright green, a pokémon resembling a pair of cherries appears on her side of the grounds. "And who of your companions shall be facing me?"

I glance down and grin at Crystal, motioning her onto the field. "Remember what I taught you." I whisper as she pounces out onto the field.

"What a rarity in these parts, a glaceon? This _really is_ going to be fun." Gardenia flashes a wicked grin, so wicked I almost cringe. "Your move, child."

Oh, she did not just call _me_ a child! I'll show her who the child is. "Crystal, plan A!"

"On edge, Cherubi! Defend with Grass Knot!"

Crystal blasts forward, dodging elongated grass blades left and right. The white aura from Quick Attack spreads to loom behind her as she skips over a blade like a dangerous jump rope. She ducks and slides under a branch meant to grab her by the neck, but slips as she is hoisted up by a vine wrapped around a back leg.

"Freeze yourself free!" I call, watching as she bites down and rips the grass blade with a mouthful of freezing air.

Cherubi lets out a cower as the broken extension of it's body crashes onto the floor, and it's no wonder it decides to retract the rest to prevent any more breakage. Crystal reignites Quick Attack and maneuvers forward onto the retreating grass blade, galloping speedily down it's surface until she nears her opponent. At the last second, she leaps backwards into the air, almost as if deploying a sudden parachute, and roars a freezing gust of wind at Cherubi, hitting it dead in the face. She lands with ease, eyeing the unconscious Pokémon with a sense of detectable arrogance.

Plan A, check.

Gardenia visibly suppresses her shock, merely crossing her arms as she returns her beaten Pokémon. "Turtwig, you're up!" She tosses the pokéball into the air, the figure of a tortoise appearing in a wondrous spark of green. "Reflect, go!"

Turtwig glows a soft pink, preparing itself and thus raising its defense.

"Tail Whip! Lower his guard!" I instruct.

"Hold strong!" Gardenia mimics, clamping her fists tightly as if preparing for a fight.

Crystal moves herself forward and smacks Turtwig square in the nose with her limp tail, but Turtwig refuses to budge. The grass-type Pokémon rams its firm body into Crystal's abdomen, sending her rolling backwards. She skids to a halt, growling as an indicator of increased intensity.

"Turtwig, finish with Razor Leaf!"

"Counter with Icy Wind!"

Turtwig hurdles a barrage of sharp, boomerang shaped leaves towards Crystal, and Crystal inhales deeply to spew a blast of hyberboreal wind. The two war midway, fluctuating back and forth in a brawl of power. The leaves slowly gain a coating of ice and tumble to the ground, leaving the turtle-like Pokémon exposed and defenseless as the winds barrel in its direction. Knocked back and brutally overpowered, Turtwig is unable to stand back up.

Gardenia does nothing to mask her emotions this time around, standing amazed with her jaw wide open. She mutters under her breath and returns her Pokémon, sending out her trump card. "Alright, Roserade, it's 1 v 1, let's win this thing!" She chirps, still clinging to her hope that she can win.

In a dazzling display of pinks, purples, and greens, the dual-type Pokémon spins into the light with a shower of petals. The white flower upon its head resembles bright platinum hair, and the leaf cape dawning on it's back wraps it up with sepal royalty. It's hands open up with red and blue rose blossoms, and daunting thorns run up its thin arms.

"Stun Spore, Roserade!" Gardenia calls, running her arms through the air in a slicing motion.

"Icy Wind!"

Roserade twirls quickly, releasing yellow particles from the blossoms on its hands. They glide across the air elegantly, making their way toward Crystal, who charges up for her attack. As the spores draw near, she shoots the ice-bitten winds, scattering the paralysis move. Roserade shields itself with its arms, holding firmly to its ground in the midst of Icy Wind.

"Poison Sting!' Gardenia carps.

The rose Pokémon's eyes glint with a sparkle of dark purple, poison spiked vines exploding from her hands and weaving in and out towards Crystal.

"Evade with Quick Attack! End it with Icy Wind!"

Crystal's eyes snap open, a white light overtaking their usual navy color. A sharp glow clings to her figure as she dodges Roserade's jabs into the ground, her speed picking up until she's a mere blur. A deathly screech ensues, followed by a crack of contact, a blast of sky blue, and dust flying up to cloud the area. Dirt floods the field, blowing across the entire room and finding a way into my lungs. I am forced to close my eyes and succumb to a coughing fit, barely able to make any kind of sense of the situation.

The dust clears quickly with a burst of cold, opening a door to the events battlefield. Crystal's ears flap and sway in the breeze of impact, her pupils narrowed into thin slits as she stares daggers into Roserade's imprint on the wall. The grass and poison-type Pokémon groans, ice frozen to parts of it's body as it struggles to stand after falling from the wall. It does not prevail.

Horrified but also impressed, I absorb the situation with my eyes wide and jaw loose. Gardenia falls to her knees, cursing, and returns her Pokémon.

"A sweep like that's a good way to lose your job." Trenton notes, striding up until he's beside me. His eyes are confident, and his face is cool, but deep down I can sense a look of concern and distress—I can feel it within myself as well.

"You—" Her eyes narrow, worry lines creasing her forehead into sections. "You know very well that I've only almost lost my job once." She stands, brushing herself off—brushing off her shame. "I've only been beaten like this once before. By you."

Those strategies... they were so intricate; it was like they were formulated with Gardenia's battle style in mind... _because they were._

I whirl around to look at Trenton, a look of confusion adorning my face. Curiosity sparks within my chest, burning me alive like a fire craving more fuel, and Trenton only throws gasoline on me when he doesn't acknowledge my astonishment.

Crystal slowly makes her way back to me, and Gardenia paces behind her, rummaging though her pockets. The ice-type brushes against my legs, purring softly as if she hadn't just _brutally_ _ **destroyed**_ _an entire team._

"Here, the Forest Badge. You've beaten me." Gardenia cracks a smile, sadness still brewing in the depths of her heart. I accept the badge, pinning it to my backpack triumphantly. "You'll go far."

I return the smile wholeheartedly, shaking her hand. "Thank you." I beam.

But as we exit the gym Trenton and I exchange a silent glance, knowing that no Pokémon as untrained as Crystal should be able to sweep a gym like that. I want to blame it on the typing advantage she has, but in the back of my mind I know that something is terribly _wrong._

Crystal skips happily beside me with her eyes shut, blissfully unaware of the rocks embedded in the road ahead of her. And so, she trips, and she falls onto her face.


	4. Hopeless

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _ **I've redrawn Kennedy's travel attire and all existing chapters are now updated. If you'd rather not look back at former chapters, you can see the drawing on my instagram, derescre{dot}png.**_

 **IIII**

After much research and inspection, I have concluded that Trenton is a zoruark sent as a spy by a rebellion of Pokémon to collect data on humans. He only talks when necessary, rarely does anything without telling me to do it first, and gets along really well with Pokémon—almost _too_ well. The only logical explanation for his behavior is that he _is_ a Pokémon, either that or he's just a natural-born asshole.

I know I'm just being stupid, but it's the only source of fun I can make out of traveling with him; it's kind of sad that the only way I can enjoy this is my pretending to solve a mystery that I made up myself.

The bell over the door threshold dings loudly as we enter the bike shop, attracting to attention of the clerk. He gives us a friendly wave and welcomes us with a smile. "Good morning, how may I be of service to you?"

"I'm here to purchase a bike to travel down Cycling Road, please." I say as politely as possible. The owner nods and beckons us to the side of the shop.

"Got a specific color in mind? We got red, orange, yellow, green—"

"Green!—Uh, green, please." I stammer, trying to contain my excitement. Green's my favorite.

The clerk sizes me for a bike, and when it it's correctly adjusted we check out. I swipe my mom's credit card, and it works like a charm. Trenton just rolls his eyes like he always does, typical attitude a spy would have. He's just jealous that he doesn't have unlimited money like I do.

After paying, Trenton fiddles with his backpack until a shiny, red bike appears in a flash of white light. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without Trainer Bags, and then I remember that it would _suck_ and that I don't want to know what it's like.

He hops on his bike and pedals southward toward the gate, so I walk mine ever-so-slowly just to piss him off. His frame fades out of my view for a couple minutes until I approach the opening of the route, and I eye his annoyed face with pleasure. _What a pleasure it is to piss off that jerk._

"Hurry up, we don't have all day." He seethes, eyebrows drawn together in an infuriated scowl.

"Actually, we do." I return, smiling smugly.

"We had a deal, remember? You obey me." He dismounts his bike and walks it through the checkpoint before I can make a snag remark. I follow behind him, my mood slightly slipping into the range of anger.

On the other side we get on our bicycles, and he instructs me to follow close behind him and keep within a reasonable speed range. I nod absentmindedly to every thing he says, not really paying attention with my mind on other matters. He pushes off and zips down the hill, and I skeptically mirror his movements, removing my feet from the ground. The downward momentum carries me forward as I shakily cling to the front handlebars, and my pace picks up dramatically with the slope. Before I realize it, I'm blasting past Trenton with my blonde locks whipping hazardously behind me. Just as I hit a fourth of the way down the hill, I begin to lose control.

Not that I ever had control in the first place.

The front tire's wobbling grows to a dangerous sway, and it affects the course of the entire bike. My surrounding turn to a incoherent blur, and I cannot understand the shouts from behind me. Everything else tunes out except the two break levers on the handlebar.

In a panic of not knowing what to do, I grab one, and my bike skids onward down the road. In the end it only makes things worse. The tires slip and lose traction, and my bike slings out from underneath of me and scrapes a small bit farther down before I go skidding with it, getting cut up all along the way. I sit up on my tailbone against the rail of the bridge as I try my best to ignore the stinging pain eating at my hands and legs, but I can't help but look at it. As I catch sight of the amount of blood dribbling down my knees, I feel a rush of tears welling up in my eyes.

"Are you gonna cry?"

"I'm not gonna cry, dammit." I mumble, refusing to look up. It takes me a moment to snap out of my trance and notice Trenton's concerned look from in front of me.

And then, with as much work it took to put up, my wall comes crashing down.

The wetness in my eyes multiplies as my face sinks like a rock in water, and I see his muscles visibly freeze through the blur of tears.

"God, ah _—shit."_

Warm tears gloss over in my eyes and stream down my cheeks uncontrollably as I throw myself outwards, my arms clinging around his chest and meeting again on the nape of his neck. My shoulders shake as it overtakes me, and I bury myself in him. His arms never find their way around me, but he lets me hold onto him for as long as I need to.

Eventually I calm down, and I pull away as I recall his words from earlier today. _How many times do I have to tell you? Don't touch me._

Oops.

I wipe the wetness from under my eyes and watch as he looks down at his shirt in disgust. I know exactly what he's thinking, I would think it's gross to have someone else's snot and tears on my clothes, too. He sighs and returns his glance to me, examining my posture.

"You don't know how to ride a bike, do you?"

Double oops.

I close my eyes and hold back a second rush of tears, shaking my head.

Another sigh. "You've gotta be kidding me..." He mutters just loud enough for me to hear, a hand entwined in the fringe of his dark hair.

"I never had the chance to learn!" I exclaim in embarrassment. _A fifteen year old girl who has no idea how to ride a bike._ It's actually pathetic. "I—I've never had a bike!"

"Why didn't you just tell me?" He loathes coolly, looking very disappointed. "Now look at all the time and money you've wasted. How dumb do you get?"

"You'd just make fun of me and get mad!" I retort, balling my fists impulsively. I wince in pain, looking at the blood and scrapes in palm of my hands.

"That's better than how mad I am right now." He quips, making a hand motion to me. "And look, you've gotten yourself hurt." He stands up, picks up his bike and hops on, beginning to pedal back up the _very_ steep hill. "Stay here and don't do anything stupid."

Is that his line, or something?

I rummage in my backpack, and my bike disappears in a flash. I sit alone, trying to pick the gravel out of my wounds as I wait for his return. Pulling my canteen from my bag, I hiss in pain as I pour water over my knees and thighs in effort to clean the blood away. Trenton soon appears with a first-aid kit, dapples it with a antiseptic cloth, and wraps the cuts in two layers of gauze and bandage tape as I tend to my hands.

"What do we do now?" I question, dreading what he suggests.

"The only thing we can do. Ride bikes down the road."

"Please tell me you're joking." I plead, fear adorning my face. "I already told you I can't ride a bike!"

"Got a better idea?"

I think for a moment, pursing my lips with a hum. "I'll ride on the back of your bi—"

"No way." He doesn't even wait for me to finish my thought before he interjects, horrified. "I already put up with you hugging me; you are not riding on my bike."

"You could have pushed me away so that's your own fault!"

"You were crying so I didn't know what to do!" His fingers return to his hair as he turns away from me, frazzled to the bone. That's the first time I think I've ever seen him lose his cool. "You know what—fine. Hurry up."

I use the bridge railing to stand, and I hobble over to his bike, squeezing onto the back of his seat. He kicks off sharply—almost angrily—causing me to suddenly and momentarily clutch at his waist to prevent myself from falling off backwards, and we begin our decline down the road. From a second-hand point of view, the scenery glides all around us and mashes together in a collage of green and blue, totally unlike the scary blur while driving. I straighten my back, stretching one hand upwards to enjoy the cool morning air, and brush my hair behind my ears to prevent it from flicking me in the face.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I use one hand for support and subtlety scoot my front end closer to Trenton. For such a cold guy, he's surprisingly warm, but that's not the point. It takes me a moment, my face drooping in dissatisfaction, but I come to the conclusion that he does _not_ have a tail.

 _Damn,_ so he is human.What fun is it now?

Our speed slowly decreases, unlike my skidding, as we approach the end of the bridge. The bike halts smoothly, and I dismount the back and watch him zap the bike back into his bag.

"Bikes are _kinda_ fun," I tilt my head and shrug my shoulders, a small smile stitched across my lips. "Especially when you don't crash."

Trenton eyes me with such lifelessness, spinning towards the gate building to exit the road before we get run over. "You're such a baby."

"You're such a jerk." I breathe, following after him and knowing he wasn't listening.

Past the gate a rush of greenery and berry trees captivates my vision. Vivid pinks and yellows adorn the branches of a bunch of trees just up a ledge to my right. I ignore my pain in my legs and spring forward and up the sets of steps, picking a few berries to keep in my bag for Crystal and myself. I move back along the ridge and pace forward a few yards to discover a mudslide sloped over the cliff to Oreburgh City.

I contemplate a moment, not wanting to dirty my clothes, and squat down by the ledge, the pain from the bike crash burning a hole in the bandages. With a hesitant push from my hands, I jump and land on my feet, absorbing the shock by bending my knees and making them sting all the more. Trenton follows suit, wiping dust from his clothes before reclaiming his position in the front of the pack. I sluggishly inch forward, not wanting him to notice me limping, and eventually find myself walking directly beside him. He cranes his neck to look at me for an uncomfortably long time, forcing me to walk normally despite the agony for the sake of my pride.

"Why are you—"

"Look." He interjects, pointing past my head to a battle going on in the background. _Oh, what a relief._

A tall, blonde-haired boy in the distance barks some kind of command to his Pokémon, soon after a burst of flames knocks into a foe starly. I barely catch the appearance of his Pokémon before it balls back up into a flaming wheel. I find myself drawn in, and I end up on the sidelines, entranced in watching the fire dance across the field. A quadrupled, rustic red mammal with perfect curls upon the crown of it's head, backs away from the unconscious bird Pokémon, it's multiple tails rolling gracefully in triumph. I've never seen a Pokémon quite like it in my entire life, not even in books or online.

"Pretty little lady, whatcha doin' there like that?"

I snap awake at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, shuttering in realization that he's standing directly in front of me. Dawning light blonde hair, deep green eyes, and smooth fair skin, his body towers a good six inches above mine.

"Hello?" He waves his hand in front of my eyes, a warm laugh escaping his lips. "I'm Patton."

"Sorry—I'm Kennedy. I was just zoned out watching your Pokémon. I've never seen anything like it." I admit, feeling a rush a warmth to my face.

"Kennedy? You're watchin' Vulpix? Yeah, of course, I get it a lot. I'm from Kanto, so very few of my Pokémon are from around here." He places his hands on the back of his neck, leaning backwards a small bit and watching me run my fingers through the vulpix's soft pelt. "You like her, eh?"

"Well, of course!" I beam, giving a close-eyed ear to ear smile. I become so absorbed in stroking its velvet fur that I forget about thr pain for a moment. "She's so strong, and cute, too."

"You wiling to trade something for her?" A hand still rubbing the nape of his neck, his eyes slowly find mine, and I notice he's blushing.

"Are you serious? Yeah, what do you want?" Barely able to hold back my excitement, I fall backwards from my crouch position and onto my tailbone, catching myself with hands outstretched backwards. I meet his gaze in suspense.

"Well, how about... a date? Here in Oreburgh." His eyes bore into mine with an expectant disposition, and I blink in surprise. It isn't really what I was expecting, but it's much better than having to trade a Pokémon of my own, since I only have Crystal.

"What are you doing? There's training to be done." Trenton approaches, emotionless and unaware of my deal.

"I'm thinking, shh." I bring a finger up and poke my lips, lost in thought. "Trenton, I'm going on a date."

Trenton groans, "What person in their right mind would take you on a date?"

"I would." Patton answers with a glare, "It's none of your business what she nor I do."

A mangled laugh escapes Trenton's lips as he fights to keep his short temper under control, speaking in a voice woven with resentment. "I never said you couldn't, and I honestly don't give a ratatta's ass about it." He faces me from above, looking down on me as always. "You can do whatever you want in your spare time, but tomorrow morning we challenge the gym. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I roll my eyes behind his back as he paces in the direction he came from, next giving the blonde teenager my attention. "Alright, Patton, I'll take you up on that offer."

"Great." He grins, returning his vulpix to its pokéball. "Meet me outside the Pokémon Center in two hours. I'm looking forward to it." He turns away, and I wave goodbye as he fades out of view, his shadow disappearing into the gray town.

I slowly rise from my feet, not wanting to irritate my wounds, and find Trenton leaned up against the trunk of a tree, zoned out and immersed in the cloud-dappled sky. As I approach, he stretches himself out, one eye clinched and the other softly awake as he yawns sleepily.

"Oh, come on. We've slept far more in the last forty-eight hours than we've been awake, and you're still tired?" I prop a hand out on my hip, raising a brow in judgement. "What are you, a snorlax?"

"Shut up, my head hurts." He laces his fingers in his hair, rubbing his temples. "I'm always tired."

"If you want a good night's sleep, then maybe we should actually rent a room in the Pokémon Center instead of camping out. I hate sleeping in the woods." I pout, hoping that I can wash these clothes and actually take a _shower._

"I hate it, too, but we've gotta stay off the radar. Going into Pokémon Center is like _asking_ to get caught. Have you forgotten that theres a _bounty hunter_ after you? We have to make smart moves, and that is not smart whatsoever."

In the back of my mind, I know he's right just like always, but I don't care. "But don't you wanna sleep in a nice, warm bed? Ten tear olds are allowed on Pokémon journeies, so it's not like they can ask for ID."

"Yes, actually, they can. Trainer ID. Every trainer has one."

"Trainer... ID?" I press my lips into a thin line, eyes widening. Triple oops.

"Don't tell me—"

"How was I supposed to know I needed a Trainer ID! No one ever told me that!"

"Maybe no one ever told you that because your parents didn't even want you to go on this journey! It's against Pokémon League regulations for someone to obtain gym badges without registration!" He locks his eyes shut in pain, his fingertips massaging weary circles into his forehead. "My god, you're making it worse."

"You're the one who was yelling." I keep my eyes glued to the ground, refusing to look him square in the face from embarrassment. I'm so hopeless, what would I do if he wasn't here? I shake away the thought, not wanting to make myself blush any brighter.

"You know what—I'm not even gonna acknowledge you said something so childish. There's no avoiding it, so we'll stay in the Pokémon Center under my name and have you registered right before we challenge the gym. But after that, we have to leave town immediately so that no one can pick up our trace."

"Mhm..." I mumble, still too pink to meet his eyes. All day, all I've done is mess up, and I couldn't do a thing about it. I'm so terribly hopeless that I actually ache. _No, that's probably just from where I got hurt from falling off my bike, another hopeless embarrassment._

"Well you've got a date, so don't you have to get ready for that or some shit?" He rubs the palm of his hand against his cheek, turning to yawn into it seconds later. "I've got some sleep I gotta attend to so might as well check in now."

I follow meekly behind him, the pain from my knees blaring aflame with a searing sensation. I wait outside of the Pokémon Center while he deals with the attendant, and the entire time I sit curled into myself, sulking in a cloud of moral disappointment in myself. My train blasted out of the station this morning with a win at the gym, and my entire day has been one wreck after another. I let my pride swell and cloud my vision from sweeping Gardenia's team until I couldn't get over myself. I was so pleased at the thought of being an apparent _natural_ at battling, that I didn't look around enough to see where I was going.

He must be so fed up with me. I mean, I gave him a headache for fuck's sake, he must be so pissed right now. Normally, I would enjoy getting under his skin for the sole reason of revenge for his rudeness, but I were in his shoes I would be pretty crabby, too, about being stuck with someone like me. He should've left so long ago, but he puts up with it to the point that it scares me.

Why is he still helping me?

Despite his kindness to me by forcing his grandson to come along, his grandfather's wrath can only reach him so far. He has to have some kind of ulterior motive behind him. Thinking back, his grandfather did mention excessive advanced summer courses over the summer, so maybe he's opting out of that by running away.

Maybe he's just like me? But also in a way, the opposite of me.

I'm supposed to go to summer school, he's supposed to skip forward a grade, but we're both running away from it because that's not who we _are._ That's not who we _want to be._

Or maybe i'm just reading too much into it. I've been known to over think the little things and under think the actual problems. Like the fact that at the moment I am illegal collecting gym badges, hiding from a bounty hunter hired my by stuck up father, and bribing a guy with a date in exchange for his foreign Pokémon.

But in all seriousness, Patton's an idiot for suggesting it himself. A vulpix is rare even where he's from, so why he's practically _giving_ it to me is beyond my puny thinking capacity. Even someone like me can see that he's being somewhat dumb, but I'm not one to complain since I'm the one actually benefiting from this.

I ease out of my thoughts as the sliding doors open from the inside, Trenton's tall figure emerging and motioning me to the alleyway to the right of the rest station. "You're technically not allowed in the room because you haven't paid or shown your ID, so you're gonna have to sneak in." Quickly glancing back out toward to doors, he pauses, and I look in confusion with him, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. "Wait here for five minutes and then come to room 22 on the second floor, and _don't_ get caught or else we'll be figured out. You'll be sent back."

He disappears just as quickly as he came, probably in a rush to get off to bed. As he fades out of view, my mind slips back into its thoughts, and I find myself staring at the wall, lost inside my own brain. Dammit, he always has a good way of pressuring and scaring me half to death, always having to bring up that the _slightest mishap could attract a little too much attention for people to resist,_ and then the journey could be jeopardized entirely.

I glance at my Pokétch and rise to my feet, nervously forcing myself through the glass, automatic doors. _C'mon, act confident and no one will question you. Act like you're supposed to be here because you_ _—_

"Excuse me, ma'am." A woman pipes up from behind the counter, pink, curly pig tails cascading to her shoulders. I slowly turn myself to face her, stiff but reluctant to show the terror on my face. She holds out a slip of paper to a woman by the door, "You left this at the counter."

I feel my bones melt into my shoes, my skin rippling and pulsating from lack of oxygen from my halted lungs. I quickly whirl back around, relief apparent in my mood, and scurry toward the hallway stairs in the most suspicious way possible to flee the scene. I only start breathing again when my toes reach the red carpet of the second floor, the secluded empty corridor allaying my anxiety. My pulse begins to slow, but I can still hear my heart beating rapidly in my ears like a drum of thunder.

My knuckles ring against the wooden door, and a few moments pass before I hear stirring on the other side. The door slowly swings open, revealing an incredibly sleepy looking Trenton in a nearly completely unbuttoned flannel shirt and plain boxers. His wet, dark hair spiked up in the oddest places is extremely disheveled for only being in bed for a couple minutes, accounting for the amount of time it took for his shower. He rubs his eyes, scoffing, and wordlessly reenters the room, plopping back down in bed.

The bones that had nearly solidified once again instantaneously become liquid and pool onto the floor. My body wobbles like I've been replaced with a gelatin mold of myself, shaking with a sudden loss of dignity.

There's _one_ bed and _only_ one bed in the center of the farthest wall, and Trenton is sprawled out over it. By now my face matches the beetroot red of the carpet, and I try my best to wait until it returns to normal to speak up.

"Gramnes, what is this shit?" I growl, crossing my arms. He barely moves a muscle.

"What shit? You?"

"There's one bed, you imbecile, where am I supposed to sleep?"

"I already told you that since you don't have an ID I can't rent a room for two. It's against the rules." He shifts, sitting upright and rubbing his hair. "The floor's right over there for you."

"Dammit, Trenton, it's damp and disgusting!" I complain through a locked jaw.

"Well then I can scoot over and _—_ "

"No, I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you."

"What, you're scared I'm gonna touch you?" He scoffs, expressing his amusement by huffing air out his nose. "I wouldn't touch you even if you wanted me to."

I bar my teeth in an invidious snarl, refusing to say a word as I stomp into the bathroom and slam the door.

"You should be greatful I'm even letting you in this room. _I_ paid for it." I hear his voice from the opposite side of the bathroom door. I ignore it and switch on the shower.

Still fuming, I remove my clothing and carefully peel the bandage wrap from my skin. Underneath lies a scabbed-up, dried blood mess, and the gauze looks like a survivor of the bubonic plague. I wet a hand rag in the shower while the water is still warm and run it gently over the wounds, not wanting to irritate them further. The pain bites at my skin, but I continue, knowing it's what's best for it.

After cleaning my wound, I promptly toss the repulsive rag into the trash bin and slip into the shower, my back facing the faucet of the scalding hot water. My skin flushes bright red against the heat as lather my hair in fruity suds.

Since when was he the one under my skin? I'm supposed to piss him off, but it's always been a two-edged sword—we piss each other off, and I can't stand it.

We are each a predator with weapons of different kinds, but despite that they are still weapons. We both want to prey on the same hunting grounds, but everyone knows there can only be _one,_ or else the other's pride will be sacrificed because _god forbid_ wounding our damn _pride._

And so we fight, my fierce growl ripping through the air and his sharp claws prepared to tear flesh from bone, and we hurt each other and ourselves, and we clash all the more, and we fight.

We fight like _animals._

Rinsing shampoo and conditioner from my hair, I run a slick hand down my body to remove the soap from my skin, and I shave the part if my legs that's not mutilated, knowing I won't get the opportunity for who knows how long.

After exiting the shower and drying off, I resume getting ready to go out, dressed in a flouncy denim skirt and a tucked-in white top and low suave knickers supporting my feet with a small heel. With a bit of make-up that I usually don't wear, I feel like I could take on a nidoking and still look hot in the process. I dry my hair straight with a blowdryer from the cabinet, and apply leave-in conditioner for that extra shimmer. A floral ribbon as a headband completes the look.

Don't forget the bandages, too.

With a few minutes to spare I make my way outside, snatching the room key from Trenton's bag so that I can get back in. Patton is punctual on the dot, dressed up stylishly.

 _Act nice, be nice, ignore your anger or else you may not receive your end of the deal._

With the thought in mind, I greet Patton cheerfully, and we meander towards a diner.

 _Goddammit, he's such a bitch._


End file.
